June already! I’m almost back on Canadian soil (editing and posting this from inside an airport terminal actually), after spending half a year abroad. For this edition of Top Ten Tuesday, here are ten awesome memories and/or accomplishments from this stay in Dubai . . .

1. So much writing.

Beginning on Christmas Day 2013, I promised I would write every day. Even a single sentence, or a few words; some days this meant an entire song or three, and some days it meant several scenes of a TV episode. Sometime in April or May I got a little more strict with myself, so now I have to write a snippet or piece of a song, or a song idea, every day. Even on days when I’ve completed a song. Even on days when I’m totally focused on a script and don’t want to think about writing a song.

So, the final tally? 52 new songs and 3 new episodes of the series I’m working on. Plus, I’ve got about 11 pages of ideas to dip into the next time I think “now what can I write a song about?” Not bad at all.

2. So much sun.

What do you when it’s 50 degrees warmer where you are than it is back at home? You go to the beach.

It’s not like I was out there every day, but I definitely took advantage of my winter and spring in the desert — and I’ve got the tan to prove it!

3. So much singing.

Being onstage six nights a week and singing so many genres (pop, reggae, rock, country, soul, Motown, blues, calypso, jazz) is awesome training. Doing so without lyrics in front of you is great for your memorization skills. Doing so in heels has left my feet considerably uglier than they were six months ago . . . ah well, you can’t win em all.

Shoutouts to my incredible bandmates Jo (keys) and Julian (guitar), for allowing me to experience the awesomeness that is playing with live musicians — and alllllll the hilarity that goes along with it!

4. Friends from every corner of the globe.

Maybe not every single corner . . . but I now have people to welcome me in Italy, South Africa, Indonesia, Sweden, all over the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia, the Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and of course here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And as eager as I am to get back home and hug all my people in Canada and the United States, it feels good to know that friendship transcends borders.

Of course I look forward to welcoming any of my new friends if and when they find themselves in Toronto, too!

At home I can jog along Lake Ontario, and I’m frequently amused by the friendly (well, probably just hungry) squirrels in my neighbourhood, and there are some nice views of the sunset from my building before it’s hidden by condos. In Dubai, I’ve been bathing in the Gulf of Arabia, taking pictures of flowers and sandscapes and water views, and loving the sight (though not always the sound) of tons of birds — including obnoxious crows and shrill peacocks.

There are some really cool manmade wonders out there, obviously, but it’s also been really nice to just look at a seashell or a cliff and enjoy that.

7. Opportunities.

I’ll do my best to explain this clearly and without offending anyone.

Opportunities are everywhere, and so are opportunity-seekers and opportunity-creators. But it seems to me that there is a greater sense of possibility in Dubai than at home; and it has nothing to do with money and everything to do with attitude. Both Toronto and Dubai are big, bustling cities with international populations and people at different socioeconomic levels . . . but they differ when it comes to the ratio of whiners to risk-takers. At home, I find a lot of people who feel that they’re stuck in a rut. In Dubai, I find a lot of people who are hustling, who are keeping it moving, who are creating some type of change instead of just complaining.

Example: my friend Davide Giusti (grey shirt), tennis coach extraordinaire who is opening his own academy in Dubai, and 15-year-old “Prince Pavel,” a future world tennis champion from Poland

This is probably because roughly 80% of the people there are expats (not local to the area, they were born somewhere else), so they’ve already taken the step of leaving home, their physical comfort zone. Granted, many of the people I met were on vacation, but when I did meet someone who’a planning to stay for awhile I tended to notice a quiet confidence and certainty that they’ll be able to do what they came here to do. And if not then they can go somewhere else and try again. It’s all good.

8. Truly cherishing interaction with people from back home.

It will be such a treat to sit down and have a meal with family and friends again. Even if I don’t like the food, I have to sit on the floor, and no one says a single word for the duration of the meal.

See these two? They will be smothered with hugs very shortly . . .

I knew homesickness would be an issue for me; I’m glad that I came through without getting too emotional (for the most part), and I now fully understand what a musician friend of mine meant when he told me staying away for a month wasn’t enough; he wanted to be gone for long enough that he missed being home.

9. Exploring.

I’ll have to make sure I do this in Toronto/Ontario/Canada too! One of the best things about travelling is getting to know a new place. I don’t mean just the people and customs and laws, I mean the physical place. When you’re new to the UAE, you ask a lot of questions like “Why isn’t there any parking?” and “Can I take the Metro?” and some more unique ones too, like “Why isn’t there a street address?”

The huge sigh of relief when you finally somehow get to the place you were hoping to find . . .

I’m very grateful to anyone who has ever printed and distributed a clearly marked map, and for numerous online forums where expats and travellers share tips. I’m also newly in love with Groupon (and similar sites like Kobonaty) for offering great deals in the area, making it that much easier to get out there and try a desert safari, or flyboarding, or a double-massage deal.

10. Discovering and developing new talents.

I’ve dusted off my photographer, videographer, and video editor hats, in addition to writing new episodes as mentioned above. I decided to share some of my insights in a 30-day art installation project via Instagram and Facebook/Twitter . . . (stay tuned to my YouTube channel for a video recap of that, plus a video recap of the whole Dubai trip) . . . and being genuinely touched and surprised by a bandmate’s comment that I’m “so visual,” I’ve been creating collages (as seen all over this blog) that are way better than those Instathings, and I even came up with my phoenix/mermaid photoshoot out of thin air.

Plus, I commissioned two newly designed dresses and had them made at a local tailor’s (and blogged all about it), and I’m really loving finding new ways to express myself visually!

So what’s next for me? A Top Ten Tuesday blog featuring the 10 best things about being back home?

Yep, a fashion spree. Not a shopping spree, because it isn’t like I bought a ton of stuff. What I did was design and commission two beautiful new pieces of clothing, and I feel kind of silly for not having done this sooner in life!

Some of you remember (I blogged about it here) me saying I wanted to have some clothing made for me by a local tailor. It’s finally done, and the experiment was a huge success. Check it out …

First I started looking around for inspiration. I saw a dress online a long time ago and I really wanted it, but the site only had super-small Asian sizes available. It was a lovely pale blue chiffon dress with an almost fairy-like feel to it, and the idea of it stuck with me. If I saw a dress on Etsy or somewhere else that kind of resembled it, I usually took a second look. And here in Dubai, I flipped through my bookmarked pages and decided to ask for a replica of this pretty little number from Lipsy London.

Okay, to be honest, I actually picked out 5 Lipsy items that I wanted made, and printed pictures of all of them, but I didn’t let myself go visit the tailors until I’d calmed down a bit. Remember, I had no idea how much any of this would cost. By the time I finally did go, I’d narrowed down my Lipsy selections and I also brought along a Charlotte Russe blouse (hey, I’ve also blogged about this blouse before!) because I was curious about having a replica made of that.

How did I decide which tailor to go to? There are hundreds here, but I found a blog by Caitlin Wilsonwhich heartily recommended City Land Tailors (and now I can see why!) so I called them up, made an appointment, and found my way over there. Their phone number is 04-344-5442.

If you’re using public transit, just take the metro to Al Jafiliya Station, hop in a taxi, and ask for the Satwa Post Office. The ride shouldn’t cost more then ten dirhams unless there’s crazy traffic. Directly across from the post office are a bunch of fabric shops; look for the one called Deepa’s, and if you’re standing facing it go slightly to the right – the entrance to City Land Tailors is in the little alleyway there.

Raj is an absolute joy to talk to and work with, and great at answering questions and offering advice. After I told/showed him what I was hoping to get done, he told me how much everything would cost (scroll down to the end for the number-crunching, lol), and I decided on one Lipsy replica, plus the blouse replica. I told him exactly what I wanted changed in each design, and what I wanted to stay the same. Raj took me a few blocks away to where City Land has another shop, recently opened. Here I chose the fabric. While I was poking around, I also got some zebra-patterned silk for a couple of headscarves. I almost got pillowcases made too (it can be easy to get carried away!), but I refocused.

I paid a deposit, they took my measurements, and that was that. 3 weeks later (my choice; they could have done it in 2) I went back to try on both dresses and have alterations done, which is included in the original price. This was my chance to point out any little changes I’d like made (example: I’d asked for 6 inches to be added to the blouse, but that made it too long), and I took my new scarves home.

After 1 more week was the big reveal! And I absolutely love the results, especially the blue dress. I call it Lipsy Lupita, since it reminds me of the dress Lupita Nyong’o wore to the Academy Awards while staying true to its original Lipsy inspiration. The orange one is Firebomb (haha), and look, they stitched up and gave me the excess they’d trimmed off the bottom; it makes a great headband!

Now for the numbers.

The fabric for the dresses cost me 130 dirhams, or just under $40 Canadian. The making of Lipsy Lupita cost 225 dirhams (about $67 Canadian) and the making of the blouse/dress was 100 dirhams (about $30 Canadian).

Was it worth it? Well, I believe the original Lipsy dress retailed for over $100 Canadian … without a tailor to custom-fit it to my body. My grand total for everything, including the silk headscarves, was under $145 Canadian. I’m curious to see how much tailors back in Toronto charge for similar work.

Suffice to say, I absolutely recommend Raj and Iqbal and the rest of the City Land Tailors crew for any of you who are in (or near) Dubai, men included! (There was one tall cutie trying on his custom-made blazer and trousers on my last trip there. I love foreign accents. But I digress.) Again, their number is 04-344-5442; call or visit them before 1pm or after 4pm. I hope to come back to this part of the UAE so I can revisit them and have more clothes made; and if you go, please tell them Chattrisse said hi!

… and so far I’ve done a lot! And I know that some of my still-undones, like souvenir shopping, will be done soon. There are actually way more than 10, but for this week’s TOP TEN TUESDAY here are some of the fun things that I reallllly want to cross off my list — let’s see how many I can do in the next 8 1/2 weeks!

1. FLYING HIGHMy first time fly boarding I made it to about 20 feet in the air; when my friend and I visited the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck we were 124 stories up.

I’m always looking for a new way to get high (haha!), so I just might go sky diving, or do a seaplane tour, or coast over the sand dunes in a hot air balloon.

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2. FINDING NEMO I love anything to do with water, and pretty exotic fish are right up my alley. You can see the huge Dubai Mall aquarium from the outside for free, but I would pay the 70 or 80 dirhams to go inside for a better look …

Hey, how cool would it be to put on the mask and flippers and go diving in it??

3. VROOM VROOM I’m not even a big fan of cars, or most roller coasters! But I hear the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi is a must-see. A must-do. Whatever.

This would have to be during the last few days of my stay, when our gigs are done and I don’t mind running the risk of losing my voice from screaming.

4. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Since November I’ve had this idea to do a bird-themed photoshoot or video shoot in front of a cliff at the resort entrance, and/or a fish/mermaid-themed one on some rocks at the water’s edge (though the chances of security ruining this are fairly good).

That cliff … and those rocks …

The pics above are from my intro and outro shoot for 60 Days in Paradise, and I’d love to revisit the locations with a good photog for some concept shots. Fingers crossed …

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5. WINTER IN THE SUMMER Obviously I left winter behind me on purpose this year … however, not many malls have skating rinks in them (the Dubai Mall does), and a ski hill inside of a mall (Mall of the Emirates) is pretty unique …

Plus, when the temps get to 40 degrees I’ll probably be begging to do something wintry!

6. BEACH BBQ, BEACH PICNIC or DESERT SAFARI Although I’ve been to a desert barbecue before (Abu Dhabi, 2008), I’d love to go out into the wilderness again for some good food with cool people. The desert safari is a package deal, very popular with tourists, which usually includes a meal, henna for the ladies, belly dancing, a camel ride, and dune bashing. Or there’s the option to just hang out with some friends around a bonfire.

Me and my Mama! This was my first beach BBQ

Either one works for me!

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7. TAILOR MADE Oooh I’m excited for this!

After next payday, I’m meeting up with Iqbal from City Land Tailors — this shop came highly recommended in a blog I found — to see about having alterations done on a shirt I already own, plus having one or two dresses (and maybe another blouse) made from scratch based on designs that I’m going to bring in and tweak. Will they look as good and fit as well as they do in my dreams? The suspense!!!

8. MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY … I’ve spent lots of time in/near water on this trip (hey, I’m a Pisces after all) but I’ve only set foot on a boat once in all these months, and that’s unacceptable! So I’m keen to go yachting, or do one of the dinner cruises on a dhow (pictured) on the Dubai creek.

Or it might be fun to charter a water taxi into the city, instead of going by cab or metro or car like most people do. =)

9. A LATE-NIGHT SWIM This sounds easier to accomplish than it is! If I’m found in one of the pools past 7 or whenever they close, I’ll get chased away and maybe reprimanded by management (which is not something you want when your employer owns your work visa). If I go into the sea instead, it’ll be hard to get good pictures and I’ll be somewhat terrified, since I found jellyfish washing up on the beach recently. If I do neither, I’ll be forever unsatisfied.

… but where are its tentacles?

So stay tuned.

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10. OFF STAGE Hey, remember the time I saw someone perform in Dubai other than one of my coworkers? Nope, me either. So it would be nice to!

This is also harder than it sounds. Weekends here are Friday-Saturday, and I get one night off per week, which was first a Sunday and then a Monday and is now Tuesday. So far I’ve missed out on performances by Cirque du Soleil, Jennifer Lopez and Carlos Santana, and I’ll miss Lionel Richie on April 17th, as well as Justin Timberlake in Abu Dhabi on May 23rd. But there’s gotta be some fun show I can catch, other than our own!

Let’s be honest, I’ve already had an incredible experience full of incredible experiences out here … from fly boarding and bargain hunting and meeting famous athletes to singing on a beach and hanging out with peacocks and making new friends from all over the world … so it won’t ruin my mood if any of these 10 things don’t get accomplished before I leave. Besides, there’s always another trip